Black and Gold
by TheSaltyGrandma
Summary: Born into a society defined by the pureness of your blood, Eliot was raised to be a simple pawn in someone else's game. However, on trip to an old and noble house, she forms a friendship that alters fate as Black and Gold become intertwined forever. But dark times are ahead, and as a rebellion grows, she has to fight to save her world. And what war is ever won without sacrifice?
1. Prologue

_Her hair was gold_

 _Limp_

 _Entwined in hands_

 _Where blood ran cold_

 _Eyes open but not seeing_

 _Looking at them_

 _As they were told_

 _That she would never live to grow grey and old_

-Anonymous (circa 1900)


	2. Chapter 1

**The girl with the long blonde hair's name was called,** and she stepped forward slightly to answer the sharp voice. All commotion ceased to a halt as hundreds of pairs of eyes turned to stare at her. Silence echoed throughout the room, but undeterred, the girl walked onward with her chin up like a queen and her eyes staring straight forward. Her Mary Jane's clacked softly against the floor and only her clenched fists and whitened knuckles betrayed her unease as she walked towards the platform.

She stepped up the 3 wood-paneled steps, conscious only of not tripping over her slightly large robes, and raise her eyes to meet the sorting hat. This hat was an old thing, with time weathered color and slightly dusty crinkles in the fabric, but sitting on the unstable 3 legged stool, it looked somehow majestic and proud. She watched as it was lifted up by a green-robed witch, took in a deep breath and sat on the stool.

No matter what anyone has told you, the sorting may be one of the most nerve-wracking and stress-inducing things you will ever encounter at Hogwarts. Well, at least in your first year. Nonetheless, even knowing so, the featherweight feel of that old black hat dropped like a ten pound weight on her shoulders. It also didn't help that the scratchy brim of it slipped over her eyes and caused quite a few of the attentive students to have to stifle their laughter.

 _Well, well, well. Do I make you nervous, my dear?_

She jumped up slightly in her chair and her eyes darted around the room for a second, but she relaxed soon enough and gathered up her remaining dignity.

 _I guess you can see into my mind and tell me what I'm feeling, can't you? So I guess_ you're _the boss. But in your defense, I suppose voices in your head coming from inanimate objects have never bothered_ you, now _have they?_

 _Touchy, touchy,_ the hat chuckled, _but anyway, down to business._ You _need to be sorted._

 _Sure, sure._ I _know_. _But_ certainly _, take your time! It's isn't like there are ten other kids waiting to get sorted after me or anything._

Certainly _has a Slytherins' sense of humor._

That shut her up pretty quickly.

 _Alright, let's see here. Fairly intelligent, could do well in Ravenclaw, but you procrastinate rather a lot, don't you? So, maybe not. Hufflepuff? Hmph, not too kind are you? I didn't think so. That leaves Gryffindor and Slytherin, together the two most oppositional houses, existing_ both _in you. Interesting, interesting…_

 _I may only look through your head, but I can sense the great bravery residing in your heart. You may try to hide it, but there is a caring soul behind that rock solid wall. And Slytherin. Well, regardless of how_ lazy _you seem to be, you have a mind fit for a cunning snake. Ambition, another notable trait for that house, also seems to lace through many of your actions, and maybe,_ even _through your veins._

 _Don't speak of what runs through my veins,_ she thought dangerously.

The hat ignored her.

 _The question begs through, which shall win? Head or heart?_ It mused, _Family or YOUR family? You decide._

… _I can't._

* * *

 **At the Staffs' table,** they were growing quite impatient. Checking the pocket watch hanging at her waist for the third time, Professor McGonagall had seen that at least 10 minutes had passed, and for only one sorting! _Too long_ , she thought. She glanced down and checked her sheet.

 _Eliot Aurum_

She had recognized the last name when she had first called it. It was a prominent name within the ministry and, as she silently reminded herself, was known to the light as a family who dabbled in the dark arts. Considering her family, the experienced Professor was sure that this child was going to end up where they all belonged, along with all the other wealthy and snobbish (honestly fanatical) purebloods. But then why was this little girl taking so long? She checked her watch again. _Five minutes._ She sighed. Apparently, this was going to be a long one.

* * *

 _Let's see; if you were to be into Gryffindor, you would always be surrounded by friends and loved ones, and your life will run a smoother course. You will know the warmth and comfort of love and how bright the fire burns within your_ own _heart._

 _Placed in Slytherin, you will know hardships not experienced by many. You will know pain and you will know hate. You will feel the ice start to build around your own heart, one that only the strongest flame can melt._

 _. . . But you will change the world._

 _In Gryffindor, you will be a part of its warm, steady everlasting fire and glow. But only apart. If you were to be put into Slytherin, you would become the only lion in a snake's hole. You will burn bright and fast like a shooting star and you will_ matter. _You would play an imperative piece in this chess game of life._

 _I'll be important?_ Eliot thought hesitantly.

 _Oh yes. But you may not be loved. And that boy? He might just fall off the pages of your story altogether._

 _I won't let him,_ she thought fiercely. _I control my_ own _life._

 _We'll see. But, what you need to ask yourself is; what do you really want?_

 _I don't know. You're not the only voice I'm hearing in my head right now._

 _Well, you know your options. Do you value the steadiness that only Gryffindor will provide, or reach for the power to make a change in this growing, ever-changing world, a gift that only Slytherin can provide? The time to choose is now. This has taken long enough. So answer me, which one?_

 _. . . I think the fact that I'm tempted by one at all tells you my answer._

 _Very well. Good luck._

 **SLYTHERIN!**

Lesson #1 for all those new first year kids; Minerva McGonagall is never, ever wrong.


	3. Chapter 2

Eliot Aurum was a young girl from a pretentious family who was in love with a young boy from an even more pretentious family. Yes, yes, some may say that she was _too_ young to be in love, _to_ naive, but Eliot had been best friends with him since she was eight and he was nine. Also, coincidentally, she had hated her family for, almost, just as long.

Born the only daughter and only child of Bartholomew Atticus Aurum the fourth, Ellie (as she liked to be called) was born to live up to the staggering expectations demanded by pureblood high society. Her father had wanted a boy, a man to carry on the family name, but after having her first (and only) child, her mother was declared sterile and her father had been too embarrassed to even think about getting remarried (just to carry on the line) and risk the chance of that little fact getting out and sullying his name. That was part of the reason she had been named Eliot. She was born with a name that could be for the boy she was supposed to be, but she was raised to act like the lady of pureblood society that she was. Well, sadly for her dear ol' Dad, she had never quite seen the truth or any reason behind the _pureblood mania_ and therefore had refused to participate in any part of it _._ When she was younger, not understanding why she couldn't talk to the muggles outside their mansion and not understanding the many other _silly rules_ her parents had set, she had also been known to ask a multitude of rather embarrassing questions concerning their _way of life._ Granted, some were fairly easy to answer, and there were even some that made her father feel rather proud to answer, but most however went something like this:

"Papa, why do we hate mudbloods so much?" (Mudblood, because at that point in time, she hadn't realised this was considered a "bad phrase" in the eyes of outsiders).

Or

"Why is Mommy also my second cousin?" (After looking through some family records, poor little Ellie was rather confused).

But of course, as these things go, there were also many more that one could consider a little more dangerous and a whole lot more stupid(these were the ones that typically got her into trouble).

On a visit to the "Great and Noble House of Black", a visit on which her father had greatly wished to impress a family higher up in society than he was, little Ellie had turned around to look at her parents, cupped her hands, and in a whispering voice that was raised only slightly to loud asked _why were there weird, slimy heads hanging on the wall? And what was in all those strange jars on the window sills? And why were all those painting staring at her? Were these people messed up in the head?_ Her seemingly innocent questions(to her at least) were met with a fierce glare accompanied by a fast reddening face from her father and a completely mortified look from her mother, who turned around quickly to ramble at an attempt of an apology to the offended looking Black's.

Having played on her father's already paper-thin temper, she was quickly sent out of the room with a hard squeeze from her father promising further punishment that night. It was worth it though, because incidentally, that was where she met her best friend.

* * *

The boy with black hair turned to the slowly opening door and his stormy expression puckered into one of confusion. There, standing in his doorway, was a small girl with a surprised look in her emerald eyes. She hesitated when she saw him, and with one porcelain colored hand placed on the slowly widening door, she smiled at him.

"Who are you?" He reshaped his face into a more annoyed expression and glared at her.

The girl silently stared back at him, one hand still on the door, and the smile had dropped from her face.

He sighed and waved his hands in front of her eyes.

" _Hello_ _?_ What are you doing in here? I came in here to get away from _weirdos_!" (He accentuated his last word, feeling very proud to have come up with a _suitable_ insult).

This finally got the reaction he wanted out of the frightened girl.

"I'm so-so sorry!" she gasped, her soft voice at odds with the iciest voice a 9 year old could muster and rambled on, "I didn't know anyone was in here! I swear!" She took a step back, just out of the door frame, "I'm sorry." She repeated.

He sighed again, "Just why are you here? Isn't there anywhere in this _godforsaken_ house that I can be alone?" He had learned that word from an argument between his parents. He didn't know exactly what it meant (even if he was a smart kid), but it had been strong enough to slip through the hands covering his ears, so he figured it must be important.

"Well, Mummy and Father were mad at me. . . well, mostly Father I guess, and well, I didn't have anywhere else to go, so, when they sent me away, I walked for the room with the most light. To you."

He felt slightly guilty at the pitiful look on her face, and was stunned when her sad face suddenly morphed and grew thoughtful. He looked down at his shoes, not sure what to expect.

She ran her tongue over her teeth and muttered, "I'm not sure why the Lord and Lady were so upset though. All I asked. . ." She trailed off.

The boy's head shot up and he examined her with renewed curiosity.

"What do you mean? What did you say to them?"

"Oh, _that"_ , she snickered, slightly reassured by his softening tone, " I guess I could have been a _little_ more polite. It _was_ kinda mean."

She explained what she had said to his parents, and the boy looked at her in what was blank shock.

 _She said what?_

"Well", he blinked, "That was dumb."

And then he burst into the loudest laughter she had ever heard.

He clutched at his stomach, and falling to the floor, rolled around on his back and pounded on the floor. His inky black hair tangled up around his ears and his forehead seemed to vibrate as he threw his head back.

Ellie stared at him in surprise, then felt a smile slowly start to spread across her face. She wouldn't have thought it was that funny (she later theorized that he didn't get a lot of chances to laugh in his life and therefore took any chance he got to crack up), but seeing some unknown boy collapse to the floor in laughter brought her into almost hysterics.

She started to giggle and soon found herself on the floor right next to him.

 _Here is a person I might actually be able to talk to. This is a person who may actually understand me. Maybe_ he _can be my best friend._

(As you can probably already tell, 8 year old's are rather quick to trust.)

* * *

On the ground with their shoulders touching, Ellie listened to the sound of hard breathing and stared at the slightly cracked arch of the ceiling above them. She smiled to herself and turned to the boy lying beside her.

He had waited until his wheezing and panting had slowed to a stop, and as Ellie watched his chest rise and fall steadily, he lifted his hands and the sound of fervent clapping filled the room.

"Brave as a lion! Brave as a lion!" He shouted.

This boy was the kind of child that observed. The kind that went searching on his own for rebellion. On one certain occasion, he had been forced to accompany his dear cousin _Bella_ to the 'Hogwarts Express', and in the midst of stuffy adults and snobby cousins (Cissy had come too), he had looked over his shoulder and seen a lively group of Hogwarts students. They were all clearly friends, unanimously clad in red and gold, and were pushing one blushing friend towards another, laughing as they shouted that exact same phrase. And in that moment, he had wanted nothing more than to be them, be a part of that happy group. He felt the beginnings of that feeling with the girl he just laughed at. And right now, in his eyes, she was as brave as they had seemed to be.

"Three cheers for…" He pumped his fist into the air then hesitated.

"I'm sorry; who did you say you were again?"

Ellie considered this question. It was strange that they hadn't met before. Clearly both coming from both high-ranking pureblooded families, and there were certainly enough balls they were probably both forced to go to, so their paths' probably should have intersected at some point(already). And she wasn't exactly the shyest of children.

Shaking off this strange curiosity, she smiled mischievously at him and said in a whisper voice, "I _didn't_ tell you before."

So, lying next to the first friend she had ever truly made, the girl with the long blonde hair wiped the sweat off her forehead, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and propped herself up.

"My name's Eliot", she addressed him proudly and clearly, "Eliot Aurum actually, but I like to be called Ellie."

The boy slowly turned to look at her and a lock of dark hair fell elegantly onto his brow. From where he lay, stretched out on the floor, she could see his bright grey eyes glittering with mirth and laughter as he beamed up at her.

"And I'm Sirius", he said. "Sirius Black."


End file.
